Obama's day: Michigan and Chicago

Apr. 2, 2014
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President Obama / Evan Vucci, AP

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

President Obama hits the road Wednesday to talk about money, with a minimum wage speech in Michigan and a campaign fundraiser in his hometown of Chicago.

First, Obama visits the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he will again call on Congress to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.

Among his arguments: Michigan is the state where pioneering car maker Henry Ford once doubled his workers' wages, saying it would be good for business because it would help employees buy the cars they were building.

Congressional Republicans say that forcing employers to raise wages will discourage them from hiring people in the first place.

The November elections are hanging over Obama's minimum wage argument. On Wednesday, the president will appear with U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who is running for the Senate.

Speaking of elections, Obama heads late this afternoon to Chicago to appear at a pair of events sponsored by the Democratic National Committee.